Court to review cases of inmates with mental health problems

TWENTY-two inmates with mental health issues who have been undergoing psychiatric treatment in Port Moresby since 2015 will have their cases reviewed by the Bomana National Court this week. Justice Panuel Mogish told the media after visiting Bomana Prison with other members of the legal fraternity last Wednesday that the 22 people indicated that they had completed their check-ups and were awaiting repatriation. “These 22 people are the forgotten people. We bring them here and we forget about them,” he said. Justice Mogish said courts outside Port Moresby had ruled the inmates in question had psychiatric disorder. He said the Bomana National Court was supposed to review their cases on Thursday but constant power supply interruptions in the area forced the court to defer the matter to this week. He said his jail visit was purposely to follow up on such groups of people who had been forgotten. “By this week the court will start reviewing their files and if they are fit to plead, the court will start issuing orders to send them back to their provinces,” Justice Mogish said. He said under the law, a person should be mentally fit and sane to be able to plead to charges. “He must also be able to understand the charge and be mentally fit to understand and think,” he said.